Changes
by Pinkey the Brain
Summary: Tonks and Remus face Sirius' death. OOTP.


**Disclaimer:** I am not British, nor am I rich. Okie dokie, glad you understand me.

**A/N:** I am writing this under the influence of Guns-n-Roses. Hope that it is good! I need to know if I should continue this story on or not. So...REVIEW!

**Changes**

She always had liked him. But he had these walls around him, making it impossible to know him more. That is, until Sirius died.

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Before Sirius had died, Nymphadora Tonks was a happy-go-lucky girl. Being the klutz she was bad things were always happening to her. But she never focused on the bad things in life, only the good. That night at the Ministry changed Tonks. It changed everyone.

Tonks was extremely out of her mind in grief over the death of Sirius. She used her Metamorphing skills, changing her hair from her trademark bubble-gum pink spikes to a more serious jet black color. It was very long, being past her waist. She liked it that way. She could easily hide behind a curtain of hair whenever she needed to. Such as today.

It all started when Tonks woke up. She looked out of the window of her bedroom at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, to see the sun shining down without a single cloud in the sky. _How ironic? _she thought. _Just days after Sirius' death and the weather is perfect. Why can't it be stormy to match my mood?_

Even though she could willingly change her appearance, the weather changed for no one. Least of all her.

"Tonks, breakfast is ready," Ginny yelled from the doorway. Just seeing Ginny set Tonks off. How dare she look so happy and carefree?

"Bloody hell, Ginny. Leave me alone!" Tonks screamed. "I am not getting out of this bed!"

Ginny looked shocked. Tonks really didn't blame her. All the other days following Sirius' death she had silently got out of bed, following Ginny to the kitchen table, ignoring the sympathizing glances the Order were throwing her. But those days she had been numb with grief. Today it had finally hit her that her aunt had killed her cousin.

_It's all my fault, too. I was the one fighting Bellatrix. I shouldn't have let her get me down. What kind of Auror am I?_

This unhappy thought proved to be Tonks undoing. She felt her eyes watering. No one had ever seen her cry and she wasn't about to let Ginny be the first. Ginny who had started walking to the bed (or, rather hopping, due to the piles of clothes, books, and such in the floor) stopped in her tracks when Tonks stood on her bed and threw a pillow at her.

"Sirius is dead and yet you expect me to go on with my life nothing happened!" Tonks screamed, her hair turning a nasty red. "Get out!"

Tonks outburst had set the portrait of Mrs. Black off. "He deserved it, using our lovely home for this! I hope it was painful!"

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Remus Lupin had just picked up his cup of coffee when Mrs. Black's portrait started screaming about her son.

"I'll get it," he said, putting down his cup of coffee. Arthur Weasley smiled gratefully, as he was running late for his job at the Ministry.

As Remus walked up the stairs he wondered what set the portrait off. It didn't take him long to find out.

Right after he had closed the curtains on the screaming portrait, Ginny Weasley ran out of Tonks' room looking extremely worried.

"Professor Lupin," she gasped.

"What is it, Ginny?" He was worried that it was about Tonks. Though he would have denied it if asked, he was beginning to develop feelings for the resident Metamorphagus.

"It's Tonks. She-" Remus did not wait for Ginny to finish speaking, he ran straight into Tonks' room.

He was not prepared for the sight that met his eyes. Nymphadora Tonks was standing on her bed, tears streaming down her face. She was wobbling precariously on the edge.

"Nymphadora," he said. Now Remus was worried. Instead of her usual reply of "Don't call me Nymphadora," she started crying aloud and would have fallen off the bed if it wasn't for his quick reflexes. Remus caught her, holding her tenderly in his arms.

He tried to sit her down on the bed, but she wouldn't let go. Remus gave up and conjured a rocking chair, sat in it, and put Tonks in a more comfortable position on his lap.

Tonks looked up at him, her gray eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm sorrow, Remus," she cried. "It's all my fault."

"What is?" he asked, knowing perfectly well what she was talking about. But, he also knew talking about things made it a lot better.

"Sirius. If it weren't for me, he'd still be alive. I was fighting Bellatrix. I'm an Auror; I shouldn't have let my guard down. My mistake cost Sirius his life." With this she buried her head into Remus' jumper; regardless of how wet she was getting him because of her tears.

Remus had thought a great deal about this in his mind-how he, Remus John Lupin was the last of the Marauders. Well, the last one that counts. He had dealt with this death the same way he had with the countless others. Telling himself it would be better one day.

He subconsciously started stroking Tonks' black hair. "Nymphadora, Sirius' death is no one's fault. He was tired of being cooped up in this house with only Kreacher and Buckbeak for company. Sirius died the way he would have wanted to-fighting against evil. He wouldn't want us to be sad."

Tonks' sobs slowly began to recede. Lupin realized she was asleep. He stood up, Tonks still in his arms, and attempted to lay her down in her bed. But he couldn't. Her hands were firmly grasping the front of his jumper. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pry them off. Remus settled back down in the rocking chair and summoned a blanket with a flick of his wrist. Then Remus decided to make up for last night's sleep loss.

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Nymphadora Tonks woke up to the smell of coffee and chocolate.

_Wait,_ she groggily thought. _That's how Remus smells!_

With this thought she opened her eyes. And, instead of seeing a lime-green pillow case she saw a brown jumper. Not just any brown jumper. It was _his._

"Bloody hell," Tonks said to herself. She couldn't believe Remus had seen her cry. No one had seen her cry, not even her Mum. What would he think of her?

"Bloody hell? Tonks?" She looked up into Remus' caring face.

She blushed, as she realized she had been sitting in his lap for quite some time. _It's not like we were doing anything! I was only sleeping! _"Well, I...umm..."

"It's okay, Nymphadora. We all need a good cry every once in awhile."

She smiled at him, grateful that he understood what her problem was. "Seriously Remus, are you sure you're not good at Occlumency? You always know how I'm feeling."

"Positive," he said, lifting her off his lap. "I failed Occlumency at Hogwarts."

She feigned shock. "You of all people...tsk tsk Professor."

He laughed as she changed her appearance to resemble Molly Weasley.

"Well dearie, I'm on duty for the Order in ten minutes. And you should go to work today, as to not arouse suspicion." With this Remus left, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Bye, Nymphadora."

"Don't ever call me that again," she shouted at his leaving form, smiling to herself. Really, when he called her Nymphadora it didn't sound half-bad.

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Neither of them mentioned that day. Except when Hermione and Ginny cornered Tonks, wanting to know what Professor Lupin was doing in her room for four hours, or when Molly asked Remus to refrain from any "hanky panky" at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. But it brought them closer together. They were more comfortable around each other. It also marked when they stopped being "Just Friends."

**Author's Note-Ta da! I'm done. That turned out nicely, right? Please, REVIEW!**


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